I am in no way any kind of expert on any of this, being new to the forum. But as I'm reading, If I had to go your route, I think I'd choose Berlin's first option - a hand-fired furnace. I'm sure a stoker is great, but one of the reasons I use a hand-fired stove is that I dont want to be dependent upon electricity ( Am I correct in that you need electricity for a stoker to work properly?) I've never seen a stoker. I'm sure they're great, but what happens when the electricity goes out? Can you manually operate a stoker if need be?? Just curious....

I love my FB in my living room, but I think that if my house was as large as yours, I'd want a monster coal furnace!

Well Bluemax,you have arrived ! This has been some damned excellent advice right off the bat concerning your problems. Take it one step at a time. If you need a bit coal stove,then start saving for one and sell the hotblast to someone who's burning wood. In the meanwhile,start working on the draft control. You know the rest. Saving money for a stove that will do you right 'aint easy,but it's all part of getting it right. Good Luck and keep working with us.

This is what you need. No kidding. This is a Florence Hot Blast No 155. These are specifically designed to efficiently burn Bituminous Coal. It will provide more heat for much less coal burned than any modern stove. There just aren't any stoves designed for Bituminous made these days. Save your penny's and get something that will work with the fuel you have available.

Going with Bluemax to look at a Will Burt stoker this week sometime. The guy built a new house and it is in his old house. The last year he used it I traded him 2 ton of coal for the stoker and furnace when he was done with it. It is a big monster furnace that will be a pain to move but only 5 miles from Bluemax's house. Wish us luck that it is in good shape.

I went and looked at furnace today. Fair shape at best. Some rust on bottom, asbestos tape on all pipe joints. Older model 30 Willburt stoker that is in decent shape. Going to take stoker for sure, still up in the air about the furnace. Got stoker pulled out and broke all cement out around firepot. Have to take grinder back to cut bolt on tuyere band and remove tuyeres to get firepot out of furnace. For those not familiar with this common set up, stokers were often added onto existing coal furnaces by removing ashdoor and grates. Putting firepot through ash door opening, shimming up with bricks, then filling rest of cavity with pea gravel and finally cementing it all in with castable refractory. So it was quite the chore removing all this by hand. On the upside I did score clinker tongs and a nice honeywell hold fire time that I used to replace my malfunctioning willburt timer at home. And a stoker for a future project. I think I will keep this stuff and try to find Bluemax a combustioneer 77 instead.

This is the only one I took, cellphone camera. It is a dark dirty half dirt floor basement stacked full of years worth of stuff! Barely any room to maneuver stuff around in. Will have to take my brother back to help carry the stoker out. Was going to take the furnace for spare parts as I saw the exact furnace for sale on Craigslist locally but just noticed it was gone.

Willis,We had the same furnace in the basement growing up,but it was twice that size. We only burnt wood in it and that thing would drive you out of the house,a small 24x40 ranch,all doors and windows open normally during the winter.Dad and my uncles got it free for removal from a 1800's,3 story brick,20 room boarding house.WOW what a monster that was,and is still in the basement.I would think you could load 2 wheel barrows of coal in it easily.